Scattered Among the Nations
Question
Jews have been scattered among nations for most of their history. Babylon, Spain, Eastern Europe, Turk empire, and so on. In fact, HaShem said in Torah that He will scatter Jews.
Why are Jews scattered in a certain era and in a certain region? Why are Jews in 17th century in Eastern Europe? Is there any reason that Jews have been in a specific region in a specific era?
Answers
I cannot tell you exactly why each community in exile had to be in the specific location that they found themselves in, but the Rabbis teach that each place had exactly what that exile needed to allow the community to reach the next “station” on the way to the Final Redemption.
Does this mean that each stop on the way was a “good” place? No, not at all. So many locations were full of persecution and murderous intent, but ultimately they brought us one step closer to the Messianic Era.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team